Ultranationalists
See also: Ultranationalists The Ultranationalists are a revolutionary political party and armed paramilitary force based in Russia who wish to return the country back to what it was during the days of the Soviet Union. They believe that the Russian Federation does not have the best interests of the Russian people at heart, siding with Western interests both philosophically and economically, and they perceive this to be destroying or weakening the Russian state. The Ultranationalists idolise the wp:Soviet Union out of a sense of national pride, though their actual commitment to Communist political and economic ideals are left ambiguous and unknown. In this crusade for national liberation, the Ultranationalists consider the powers of the Western world, specifically the United States of America and the United Kingdom, to be major obstacles in their path, as well as any Russians who do not support their aims, which includes the political wing of the party which advocates peace with the Western world. The extremist group's funds come from several criminal activities such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, hijackings, arms dealings and kidnappings. They are supplied with weapons by several arms dealers around the world, such as Alejandro Rojas and Imran Zakhaev, who was an arms dealer before becoming the Party's leader. In 2016, the Ultranationalists seized control of Russia through election and have markedly increased their power and military and political strength since then. The Ultranationalists started as a possibly Marxist-Leninist revolutionary political party in post-Soviet Russia with the main aim of toppling the pro-Western loyalist Russian government. Their influence now extends far beyond Russia's borders, with a Russian air base located in Kazakhstan, military equipment from Ukraine, several contacts in the Middle East, and at least one known contact in Brazil. Their influence has been seen throughout Africa with multiple contacts there as well. Leadership The first known political head of the Russian Ultranationalist Party was Imran Zakhaev, a former Soviet general and arms dealer who operated from Ukraine, selling spent uranium fuel rods from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to generate money for his cause following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown disaster and the later dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was reported as killed in an assassination plot by the United Kingdom, but later resurfaced to head the Ultranationalist Party during the Second Russian Civil War. His son, Victor Zakhaev, was the field commander of the Ultranationalist forces and took orders directly from Imran. After Victor's suicide and the death of Imran at the hands of John "Soap" MacTavish, the Ultranationalists were left leaderless. Boris Vorshevsky, leader of the Ultranationalist's political arm, the wp:Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, assume control of the whole organisation and saw to it's gradual disarmament. Vorshevsky's more moderate policies clashed with more militant members of the party. Eventually, the party split and the moderate assumed full control of the Ultranationalits, placing them in a position to negotiate and assume control over the Russian government. Origins The Ultranationalists can trace their roots to the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis. The crisis was a political stand-off between then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian Government, coming to a head when Yeltsin tried to dissolve the parliament, despite not having the power to do so according to the constitution. This led to the members of parliament barricading themselves within the White House, Russia' house of parliament, whist anti-Yeltsin demonstrators took to the streets. Imran Zakhaev led a small militia to take the mayor's office and a TV centre, but this was repealed. Eventually, the military bombarded the White House and forced the parlimentarians to surrender, along with Zakhaev's militia. Zakhaev would be imprisoned for his involvement in the crisis, but released with amnesty a year later. Zakhaev would go underground and attract supported to his newly formed Ultranationalist Party. 1996-2011 In 1996, the British government authorized its first assassination order since the Second World War on Zakhaev, who was selling fuel rods salvaged from the ruined Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant. Zakhaev survived the attempt on his life, with the loss of his arm. Starting from 2001, the Ultranationalists orchestrate several terrorist attacks on both domestic and international targets. The Utranationalists were behind a Moscow city bus bombing, leaving 29 people dead and 19 injured. Later in the year, the would massacre 87 people in a GUM mall in Moscow. In 2002, the Ultranationalists executed their first international attack by hijacking a Greek oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea . A ransom of US$3 million was paid, but not before 2 members of the Greek Navy were killed. Though Russian Government announced they would work with Greek authorities to try and find those who were responsible, the culprits were never found. Between 2003 and 2005, it had been reported that the Ultranationalists were behind at least 6 high profile attacks, raging from extortion to terrorism, both within Russia and abroad. Moscow-based journalist Ilya Lovitch in response to rumours the Ultranationalists were supporting North Caucasus-based, pro-Western nationalist groups. The Ultranationalists bombs several high government buildings in Kazakhstan, killing 245 people. Two Kriegler Airliner planes were reportedly hijacked and crashed by Ultranationalist-supported cadres, leaving 378 people dead, including 8 terrorists. They also bomb two African embassies, leaving 28 dead and 48 injured. The Ultranationalists raids an unknown number of bullion trucks in Moscow, steals 3 million rubles and kills 3 security guards. Ultranationalists also hijack an unknown number of cruise ships in the Baltic Sea, torturing 3 US passengers until the $5 million ransom is paid. The Ultranationalist also co-organised and co-executedn the London Islamic terrorist bombings on June 7 2005. Since their terror attacks began internationally, there had been increasing pressure put on Russia by the international community to crack down on the Ultranationalists. Once the rumours of Ultranationalist involvement in the London bombing became true, the UN announced sanctions if the Russian government did not announce action against the Ultranationalists. Russia hence would declare war on the Ultranationalists, but would do little to quell them for the rest of the decade. Meanwhile, the Ultrnationalists would commit more attacks, including the 2009 St. Petersburg IKEA Bombing and a thwarted attack on a Russian Premier League match in Moscow. Yemen Before the war, Zakhaev realized that a Russian Civil War, would gain a high level of Western attention, especially United States and United Kingdom. In order to cause a diversionary war, funded and supported Khaled Al-Asad, a Yemi warlord, to launch a coup d'état against the government of Yemen. Al-Asad's coup d'état was completed with the execution of the President Yasir Al-Fulani June 18 2011. US Marines would invade Yemen the day after, but would only perform a short offensive through the country and into the capital, Sana'a, before a nuclear device was detonated from within the presidential compound, devastating the city. Zakhaev's death On June 22 2011, Zakhaev and his Ultranationalist forces found themselves in a skirmish with SAS and US Marine Forces, supported by the Russian Loyalist Ground Forces in the Altay Mountains, roughly 100km north of the Kazakh border. The British and American forces were on assignment in the area, trying to link Zakhaev and the Sana'a Nuclear Bombing. The skirmish spilled over to the nearby Chuya Highway continued for several miles until the rolling battle was halted at a collapsed bridge. Russian Forces soon arrived and assisted the British and Americans to hold back the Ultranationalists, which included killing Zakhaev. Split, Rise of Vorshevsky, Ultranationalist Presidency Leading up to and following Zakhaev's death, the Ultanationalist faced split in their party over the direction the Party should go. Boris Vorshevsky, who led the Party's parliamentary wing, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), wanted to expand on the public view of the Party and gain popular support, whereas more militant members wanted to continue the terrorist attacks. Vorshevsky's strategy would prevail, managing to drum up popular support by praising Zakhaev, emphasising the shortcomings of the Russian Federation and harshly criticising both President Dimitri Medvedev and his predeccessor, Vladimir Putin. Vorshevsky became the presidential candidate for the Party in November 2011. Interestingly, Medvedev was nominated for the ruling United Russia party, insted of Putin as some believed. The Ultranationalist Party would be victorious in the 2012 Russian presidential election on 4 March 2012, with Vorshevsky inaugurated in the Kremlin on 7 May 2012. In 2016, a memorial statue for Zakhaev was erected in Moscow's Red Square. Dissolution Over the years since Vorshevsky's rise to power, the Ultranationalists weeded out any action by dissidant militarists. Eventually, the Ultrnationalist would be absorbed into the regular military. 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